I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for managing load of an access channel in a wireless communication system.
II. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These wireless systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems.
A wireless communication system may include a number of base stations that can support communication for a number of terminals. A terminal may transmit on an access channel in order to access the system and/or for other purposes. For example, the terminal may transmit on the access channel in order to register with the system when the terminal is powered on, to originate a voice or data call, to inform the system of the terminal's whereabouts so that the system can page the terminal if needed, etc.
The access channel is typically shared by all terminals in the system. Thus, if many terminals transmit on the access channel and/or if some terminals transmit frequently on the access channel, then heavy load on the access channel may increase the load of the system, delay access by terminals desiring to connect to the system, etc. It may be desirable to manage usage and hence the load of the access channel in order to avoid deleterious effects due to overload of the access channel.